Sentimental value and its influence on hedonic adaptation.

Abstract

Sentimental value is a highly prevalent, yet largely understudied phenomenon. We introduce the construct of sentimental value and investigate how and why sentimental value influences hedonic adaptation. Across 7 studies, we examine the antecedents of sentimental value and demonstrate its effect on hedonic adaptation using both naturally occurring and experimentally manipulated items with sentimental value. We further test the underlying process linking sentimental value and hedonic adaptation by showing that whereas feature-related utility decreases for all items with time, sentimental value typically does not, and that sentimental value moderates the influence of the decrement in feature-related utility on hedonic adaptation. Moreover, this moderating effect of sentimental value is driven by a shift in focus from features of the item to the associations that item possess. We conclude with a discussion of related phenomena and implications for individuals.

Sentimental value and gift giving: Givers' fears of getting it wrong prevents them from getting it right

“…Gifts related to the preferences and tastes of individuals tend to be well received (Gino & Flynn, 2011), as are gifts that serve as reminders of special events and relationships (Belk, 1988, 1991). This latter type of gift, one we term a sentimentally valuable gift, is particularly interesting because of its ability to provide a recipient with happiness for years after the gift exchange (Yang & Galak, 2015). Yet, as we will show, givers do not give these gifts as often as recipients would like.…”

“…Unlike preference‐matching utility, which stems from an item's superficial features matching one's tastes, sentimental value stems from an item's intangible link to a cherished aspect of one's life. Specifically, sentimental value is the value derived from an emotionally‐laden object's associations with significant others, or special events or times in one's life (Belk, 1988, 1991; Fletcher, 2009; Yang & Galak, 2015). 1 This value is acquired immediately, though in some cases it may increase with time (Yang & Galak, 2015).…”

“…Specifically, sentimental value is the value derived from an emotionally‐laden object's associations with significant others, or special events or times in one's life (Belk, 1988, 1991; Fletcher, 2009; Yang & Galak, 2015). 1 This value is acquired immediately, though in some cases it may increase with time (Yang & Galak, 2015). It is important to note that not all objects that relate to other people, past events, or another time, are sentimentally valuable.…”

“…As the definition suggests, it is critical that at least one of these elements is “significant” or “special”, and that the object is emotionally‐laden. Further, the associations must be with positive aspects of one's life (i.e., not associations with a now‐disliked person, or an unpleasant event or time; Yang & Galak, 2015). As an example of a sentimentally valuable object, consider a picture of someone along with their best friends at high school graduation, that was given to them at their graduation party.…”

“…Though it seems possible that some gifts are both high in sentimental value and preference‐matching utility, these two forms of utility are generally negatively correlated (Yang & Galak, 2015), and thus givers may often have to decide whether to give a gift high in sentimental value and low in preference‐matching utility, or vice‐versa. To examine if this is indeed the case, we conducted a pilot study in which seventy‐one Amazon Mechanical Turk workers (56% female, M age = 33.63) were presented with six tradeoffs from the gift‐giving literature, along with the sentimental value vs. preference‐matching utility tradeoff, and indicated how often they had to make each tradeoff when gift‐giving (0 = Never, 100 = Every time I decide on a gift) 2 .…”